Reptile & Amphibian Forums

anyone know what sp/ssp. and why?

I would say Pituophis catenifer bimaris, as to why, I don't know.

Ian

To me it looks like my P.c. vertbralis when he is going to shed. I'm not sure about bimaris. The colors are in the wrong place for bimaris? My guess is vertibralis.

Mike B

n/m
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"with head raised regally,and gazing at me with lidless eyes,he seemed to question with flicks of his long forked tongue my right to trespass on his territory" Carl Kauffeld

Bimaris cause of the symbols on the neck.

Shannon

Bimaris from Kalamazoo, Michigan?

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Genesis 1:1

Cape Gopher. Don't know what locale. Hey, good lookin' out on these quiz things. I like these. Keep 'em comin'.

reako45

k

Almost looks like a cross bimaris X vertebralis.. The pattern on the neck bimaris and the rear half vertebralis..

You guys who guessed P.c.bimares are correct. This was a tough one because although it is bimaris this individual is particularly colorful. The two spp.'s do have have an area of intergration but this animal's founders come from north of that so it can be considered bimaris in every way. Stull grouped the two as "vertebralis" and some authors continue to agree with that. Grismer being one of them, choosing to group them together useing the terms "vertebralis pattern class" and "bimares pattern class" to distingush them.

Generally speaking you do not see the black (or as much black) on the anterior saddles of vertebralis as this individual exhibits.
As a side note, he is the son of a breeding between an average looking bimaris female and a male that Fowler had. The male had bright orange ground color and absolute black saddles from head to tail with zero mid body fading. He was incredable looking but last I heard he was dead so I am left trying to work my way back to that look.